1. Field of the Present Invention
The present invention relates to a technology for controlling the start-up of a fuel cell system that generates power through electric chemical reactions between hydrogen and oxygen.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, much attention of people has been brought to the fuel cell system enabling power generation through electric chemical reactions between hydrogen and oxygen, as a next generation power source. As is widely known, in the fuel cell system, water is produced from the electric chemical reactions, and such water is usually used for cooling the interior of the fuel cell system or discharged to the outside through a discharge pipe.
However, when such a fuel cell system is placed or used under a low temperature condition where, for example, the outside temperature is below the freezing point, it is considered that water remaining in the valves, pumps, pipes, etc., of the fuel cell system would be frozen, which may make the fuel cell system inoperable or reduce the lifetime of the fuel cell system.